My husband Captain Ian Gwyn Rhys Griffith passed away on 25 January 2021 at the age of 80.
Born in North Wales in 1940, Ian was indented with Alfred Holt’s Blue Funnel Line as a midshipman working in Australia and South East Asia in 1956. He joined New Zealand Shipping Company in 1962, rising to chief officer and cadet instruction officer.
With New Zealand Shipping Company’s absorption into P&O General Cargo Division in the early 1970s, Ian continued with roles both at sea and onshore before transferring to P&O Ferries Irish Sea, with which he remained in command of several vessels until his retirement in 2000.
He was also a member of the NUMAST Welfare Fund Committee, working with the team at Mariners' Park in Wallasey.
We enjoyed his retirement, spending months in France with our three daughters and his 10 grandchildren. A kind and generous man, he will be sadly missed by us all.
Carol Griffith
More letters
Seafarers overlooked on VJ Day 80
The UK government's 80th anniversary commemorations of VJ Day seem to have left out the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy seafarers who played such an important part in the Pacific theatre of war.
Catch up with old Clan Line colleagues
The annual Clan Line reunion will take place this year at the Liner Hotel in Liverpool on Wednesday 1 October 2025.
The latest consequence of shortsighted policy-making
Having read the article about UK defence on your website, I thought it was spot on about needing to secure the future of the Merchant Navy if the government wants a defence capability.